


Fireflies and Firesides

by Mozzarella



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Dating, Day At The Beach, Established Relationship, Flower Crowns, Fluff, M/M, Vacation, Zagreus being a good friend, a little angst (for flavour), kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28536963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mozzarella/pseuds/Mozzarella
Summary: Theseus treats Asterius to a day on the surface, with Zagreus's help.
Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 205
Collections: Hades Game Holiday Gift Exchange 2020





	Fireflies and Firesides

**Author's Note:**

  * For [robocryptid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/robocryptid/gifts).



> For the Hades Holiday Gift Exchange at our discord! Tried to fit as much fluff as I could, even though I'm late! Hope y'all enjoy, I love these boys so much. ASTERIUS DESERVES EVERYTHING and secretly so does Theseus.
> 
> For robocryptid, who requested: 
> 
> 1 - (NSFW or SFW) by the fireside  
> 2 - homemade gifts  
> 3 - underworld character sees fireflies for the first time
> 
> I got two out of three, but I'm eyeing that handmade gift prompt for.... late reference UwU

Theseus would never admit it, but the hellspawn Prince of the underworld had certainly been the catalyst for this particular venture. He had worried about the risks that might bring Hades's wrath down on their heads, and as much as he might like to brag about his own prowess in battle, even he was not fool enough to even attempt to challenge the Underworld King's unbreakable laws - especially if it put Asterius's position in Elysium at risk.

And yet.

The beautiful light of Elysium was certainly splendid enough to Asterius after spending an entire lifetime in a dark and terrible Labyrinth, but even this beautiful paradise did not have the rising of the morning sun, nor birdsong that greeted mornings. It was a realm of night, like any other, despite its beautifully lit evergreen plains. 

When Theseus first began describing the beauty of a fine summer day to Asterius, who had missed out on so much that Theseus dedicated himself to filling his days with the ease, comfort, and revelry, Asterius had said something that caught him off-guard. 

When describing the beautiful bright gold of the sun, Asterius had nosed at Theseus’s flaxen locks and said “then you are like the sun, king, if its rays are golden and bright.” And though Theseus had laughed, had bragged with vigour, it struck him how poor a substitute he was for the first rays of dawn’s sunlight. 

That was when he, against every wilful, noble bone in his body (though if Shades had bones, he was unsure), sought out the hellspawn Prince himself, when he first heard news of him entering Elysium. 

It seemed as though, unlike previous battles, this time Zagreus was taking his time, leisurely picnicking with two familiar shades when Theseus found him in Elysium’s winding chambers. 

“You’re kidding,” Zagreus said blankly when Theseus first made his approach, surprisingly quiet for the man who announced every action like he was performing for crowds. Though, to be fair, Zagreus had never actually spoken to Theseus outside of the stadium, so the context didn’t exactly apply here. 

“Blackguard,” Theseus said, remarkably mildly for what Zagreus was used to, which put him on edge. Patroclus sighed from where he sat, sipping on some ambrosia, while Achilles looked intrigued, though his hand strayed close to the spear that rested beside their laid out picnic cloth. 

“What is this, Theseus? Taking a page out of Asterius’s book and trying to get at me early before I inevitably slaughter you in Elysium?” Zagreus said. 

“As though I would waste my precious time on hellspawn such as you,” Theseus said gamely, though he sighed quickly after that, stopping whatever Zagreus seemed ready to retort when his eyes widened as Theseus’s pompous posture sagged into something more…. Human. 

“Enough. I’m not here to volley barbs for the crowds to eat up in the stands,” he said, and Zagreus’s wide eyed stare hadn’t dissipated, leaving Patroclus to speak up for him. 

“And what is it you’re here for, o champion?” Patroclus said in that dry way of his, open mockery with the serene smile of passive amiability. 

“I…. need your help.”

“My help!?” Zagreus sputtered. “What could possibly push the great and overbearing King to ask me for help? I’d have thought you’d die before ever stooping to my level. Or better yet, try to kill me again. What’s this all about? And why would you think I’d help you?”

“I don’t!” Theseus said, regaining some of his ego with the surge of annoyance that accompanied Zagreus’s questions. “It is not for me that I, as you say, stoop so low as to ask one like you for assistance. This is for my dearest and most beloved companion!”

He proclaimed the last with a finger raised as if to pontificate, but was surprised to see Zagreus grow  _ less  _ annoyed, looking instead more pensive. 

“For Asterius. Alright, what is it?” Zagreus said after a moment’s pause. “Clearly it’s important. I’ve fought you about four hundred times by now and it never came up before.”

“Indeed. That is. I…” Theseus sputtered, trying to find the words, side-eyeing the other Elysian heroes as if worrying they would spread word to those Theseus wished to keep secrets from, especially great Achilles, who worked directly under the one god who could destroy everything Theseus had built. 

“I trust them with everything. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to them,” Zagreus pushed, seeing Theseus’s insecurity plain on his face. 

“Hm, well. It has been many years since I slew Asterius in glorious combat,” said Theseus. “And in those many years I have made sure he is well cared for, here in Elysium, honoured as is appropriate to his greatness as a warrior and my partner! But in his lifetime on the surface, he’s never truly seen… well, anything above the earth. Always has he been a creature of below the surface, even before his death, and has never seen the sun. Or birds, for that matter!”

“Birds? Oh, you mean those thing that look like bats but make music,” Zagreus said, clapping his hands in realisation and perking up. 

Theseus stared, as did Patroclus and Achilles, before clearing his throat and continuing. “Ah, yes, well. Those. Things in the daytime, when this realm is of the night. So many things he truly, certainly, deserves to have, but by circumstances has never experienced! And I know you have been on the surface many times at this point.”

“Oh. Oh!!! Yes, of course. You want to help Asterius experience a day on the surface!” Zagreus said, shooting up enthusiastically. “That sounds like an excellent idea! Who knew you could be so thoughtful, king?”

“Excuse me, I-”

“But blood and darkness, I don’t even know how that’d work,” Zagreus said, pacing back and forth, his fiery feet treading grass into ash. “I’m given leave to go out because I’m supposed to test the Underworld’s defences. But you’re one of those defences, so there’s no way father would allow…. But then does he even have to know? I don’t want to lie to him again…. But for Asterius… Maybe Nyx will…”

At this point, the other man seemed so lost in his own head that Theseus likely wouldn’t be able to shake him of it, and he didn’t really wish to, if it meant Zagreus would find a way to circumvent what Theseus himself could not. 

Even if it was a blow to his pride, well. 

Anything for his bull. 

  
  


* * *

Over the years Theseus had been given the favour of the gods, he learned a very valuable lesson: 

Sometimes, the gods asked for too much. 

That was what he learned when their machinations took his son. When his birthright by Poseidon brought him more grief than joy, in the end. 

He knew on some level that Zagreus, hellspawn though he was, was himself a god. He hadn’t known the difficulty of his requests would match the ones Theseus knew in life. 

“Yield? I cannot yield. I am Champion of Elysium. To be defeated in honourable combat is one thing, but to yield!” Theseus about shouted as he met again with Zagreus in the glade, now with only Patroclus as witness. If he rolled his eyes any more Theseus worried they would roll right out of the man’s skull, but he could not help himself.

“Well I certainly can’t lose to you, otherwise the path won’t open up to me to the surface. And I can’t kill you or Asterius, or else the same happens as before and you’re both taken by the Styx. The idea is that we fight a bit, I wear you both down, then you yield. The gates open, I get through, you and Asterius follow me. Give it a little time so I can kill a few satyrs, then my father. Then you can treat the bull to his first proper night… day out on the surface. It’s a foolproof plan as long as you don’t stay so long that someone has to go hunt you down.”

Theseus gritted his teeth, the only concession he would give. The Underworld Prince was, in the very least, considerate enough to Asterius that Theseus knew it would be no trick, but still he doubted. 

Yielding was something he, as Champion, could not do. Not if he wanted to keep the mantle of champion. 

Surely it wasn’t something Zagreus knew, for as often as they met and fought, he did not understand the nature of being Champion in Elysium. When Theseus said it was as much a mindset as the victories themselves, he wasn’t speaking purely in metaphors. 

But still. He knew what the punishment for failure would be, and if he could give Asterius this one simple thing, then it would have been worth that. 

So the next time they crossed blades in combat, Asterius ready to throw his full strength into glorious battle, Theseus didn’t call for the gods when he neared death, which seemed to throw the bull off somewhat. Zagreus gave him the same courtesy, unwilling to bring the sight of other gods onto their little scheme. Soon enough, Asterius was shaking off the confusion of running into the opposite wall, and Zagreus had his monstrous blade at Theseus’s throat. 

And Theseus opened his mouth. 

“I yield!” 

Already he could feel the effects of those words, even as Asterius looked to him with shock in his bovine eyes. The way the glimmer of godly favour seemed to slough off him, the wrath of punishment nipping at his heels. 

But it would not touch Asterius. That was the agreement. Perhaps he would be strong enough yet to walk by his friend’s side to one last trip to the surface, before he had to cede his title and all that came with it. 

And just as the gates unlocked behind him, he heard the words from Zagreus’s mouth - 

“I yield as well. This was a battle well-fought, king.” 

The shock of his words doubled in the sudden surge of his blessings returned, his life replenishing with the end of a battle neither won nor lost, but forfeited on both sides. The roaring of the crowd was a mix of confusion and addled joy, to see such an upset in their unchanging arena. 

“King, what-” 

Theseus looked up to see Asterius looking down at him in shock, offering a hand for Theseus to take. 

Zagreus walked over, looking pleased, not knowing exactly what he’d circumvented with thoughtlessly generous words. 

“Alright, you two. Follow behind me, so the chambers don’t close behind you. Watch for when I get Cerberus to take his break, and wait a little longer. You’ll know when it’s over, and you’ll be free to go after me.” 

They followed in Zagreus’s wake, and Asterius was silent, though his hackles were up, uncertain of the situation but following Theseus’s lead. 

“King, what is this?” 

Theseus felt his bravado return, even if they had not achieved their goal just yet. “You shall see soon, my friend!” he said, feeling excitement the likes of which he had forgotten, except in the moments he shared with his bull, the firsts of good food, a good fight, and ambrosia Asterius lapped out of a golden dish. 

  
  


Charon watched them with unnerving fascination as they waited for Zagreus to complete his tasks. The hound Cerberus and his three heads alternated between panting happily, growling at them when they ventured too close, and licking the other heads as they awaited the prince’s return. 

Finally, the young god emerged, covered in blood and other awful things but grinning brightly, seeming none too worse for wear as he presented a foul-smelling sack to the hound, which yipped happily and went off to the other chambers, sack in tow, his own pleasant snack. 

“Wish you guys could see me battle my father,” Zagreus said, stretching as he prepared to cross the gates to the surface. “I imagine you’d enjoy the spectacle. But I think he wants the plausible deniability of not seeing you two cross his threshold. I’m pretty sure he knows,” Zag said thoughtfully, heedless of the way it seized Theseus’s heart with ice to hear. “But, and I quote,  _ do what you want. I trust you’ve enough sense to understand the catastrophic consequences of releasing souls from this realm,  _ which is him being nice, if you’ll believe it.” 

“The surface,” Asterius said suddenly, turning to Theseus. “You’re bringing me to the surface.” 

“Why of course, my friend! I’ve told you so many tales of its beauty, but I realise you’ve never truly experienced it yourself. An injustice, for one of the two greatest champions Elysium has ever known!” Theseus proclaimed. 

“This is foolish,” said Asterius, his words striking Theseus right to the centre of his heart. Though the way he dipped his head, ears folding down, told Theseus enough - it was not truly because he did not wish it, but because he believed, falsely, that it was a fool’s errand to expend any amount of energy for his well being. 

As though he was not worthy of everything. As though he was not one of the best men Theseus had ever known. 

Ever loved. 

“Well we’re here already,” Theseus said, a bit mildly. “Should we simply undo all of the demon - ah, that is, Zagreus’s hard work?” 

“Wow,” said Zagreus from where he stood, blinking in shock. “I think this is the first time you’ve ever called me by name. Either you aren’t actually Theseus or this actually broke you.” 

“Short one,” said Asterius in warning. 

“Okay, okay. I’m going!” Zagreus said, chuckling to himself as he opened the enormous, heavy doors to the surface realm. Even though it was clearly evening, the bright light of the surface and the cold of snowburst made both champions close their eyes as Zagreus walked forward. 

They stood at the threshold for a while, waiting for whatever signal Zagreus intended to give. They heard the sound of godly clashing, and perhaps, if not imagined, even some sort of heart-pounding music, until the sound of a final strike cut all noise into sudden silence. 

The Styx seemed to bubble as it took another away from their sight. The signal, perhaps, though even if they had not heeded it, they would not have been able to miss the boatman’s groan and pointing finger, sending them forward into the cool, strange air of the surface. 

Theseus was no longer used to the light, and it took him a few tries to blink away the whiteness in his vision. 

Snow. It had been so long since he’d seen a proper snow, or felt cold when he stepped out onto the landscape. 

Zagreus stood in the middle of a battlefield, bloodied and bruised but grinning with red teeth. 

“There! The surface! I’ll admit, I’m no expert at it, but it’s pretty great, right?” 

Theseus watched Asterius’s reaction carefully, as slowly, the minotaur sniffed the air, reached down to touch the snow beneath his feet, grunting thoughtfully. 

“Strange,” was the first thing he said. “So this is snow. The stories didn’t do it justice. And you said it falls from the sky? All this?” 

“Not all at once, my friend! Perhaps we shall see it as we go along,” Theseus said. “Come now. There’s so much to see, and we’ve yet to reach morning.” 

Asterius snorted. “Yes. The sun. Show me, then.” 

Theseus grinned from ear to ear, aware of the look he was giving his fellow warrior, unable to keep it down. To their side, Zagreus looked between the two, before clearing his throat. 

“Huh, um. I’ll go that way then. Remember - one day. When the sun sets, you have to be back here or else I’ll have to go out, hunt you down, and kill you. And if I can’t get you back, it’ll be the Furies,” Zagreus said, looking sheepish, as though the threat of the fearsome punishers of man was a mild inconvenience he felt sorry for putting them through. 

“By our honour, we will not sully our names with broken promises!” said Theseus, puffing up. 

“Right, right. See you both. Have fun, Asterius! And try not to die too early,” Zagreus said, hurrying in the other direction. 

* * *

  
  


“I don’t understand,” Asterius said when they were finally, truly alone. They had walked a little ways, the snow seeming to dissipate the farther from the entrance to the underworld they walked. 

“Don’t understand what, my friend?” 

“To threaten your place with punishment. To go beyond comfort and even sense… for what?” Asterius said, shaking his head. 

“Why, for you, Asterius. One of the greatest champions in Elysium deserves so much more than to only have such horrid memories of the surface. Today shall be immortalised in the happy memories in ambrosia or when next we lay in the grass in Elysium. You shall feel the sun on your face, greet it when it rises. To know these experiences you were deprived of in life by your cruel king,” Theseus declaimed. He would have went right on had Asterius’s enormous hand not landed on his shoulder, stilling him. 

“You shouldn’t have,” said Asterius, not in the coy tone of one receiving a desired gift, but in the tone of one who truly believed it was something Theseus should never have wasted his time on. 

“But I did,” Theseus said, looking challengingly into Asterius’s eyes, under his furrowed brow. “So we’d best make the most of it, eh, bull?” he added, winking. 

  
  


Eventually they came upon a beautiful clearing no longer touched by the snow nearer to the underworld gates, flanked by many bushes but with a view of the wide, beautiful night sky and the stars that littered its expanse. 

With the underworld being the realm of night itself, they were not deprived of the beauty of deep evening. Still, there was something special about seeing it laid out like this, and he and Asterius lay for a while, heads side by side as Theseus pointed out the clusters that were heroes and creatures favoured by gods. 

He avoided the familiar shape of horns, instead speaking of hunters and beasts and gods. 

Asterius sat up, snorting in surprise. 

“King,” he said. “Do stars come loose?” 

“Some fall, but not so often,” Theseus said, puzzled. “Why do you ask, my friend?” 

“I don’t know if it’s a trick of the night, but I see stars dancing by those bushes over there,” said Asterius, and Theseus tracked his gaze, laughing in surprise when he realised what it was that Asterius saw. 

“Oh, my dear friend. Those aren’t stars, though I understand the confusion. Those are fireflies.” 

They got up, brushing themselves of the grass that clung to their chitons. Asterius was careful in his step as they approached the bushes, glinting with dozens upon hundreds of fireflies, sparkling and dancing under the shadow of trees. 

Theseus looked at the wondering expression on Asterius’s face, his eyes tracking the movement of the tiny creatures, distracted only when he felt Theseus lay something on top of his head, startling him just the littlest bit. 

“Calm yourself, dear friend,” Theseus said gently, adjusting the laurel of flowers on Asterius’s head. “Don’t move. Watch,” he added.

Asterius did as bid, and soon, the wandering fireflies began perching on the flowers on his head, dodging his twitching ears. The multitudes made his crown of flowers seem themselves a crown of stars, and Theseus could not look away. 

And though Asterius could not quite smile in the way humans could, every part of him seemed to relax, joyful and at peace with his circumstances until a little sneeze meant he had to lay the crown down and they decided to move on. 

* * *

Spending time in the late evening was lovely, but Theseus ensured they could see the horizon when he saw the first stirrings of dawn. Though he felt his no longer beating heart seize just a little as they neared a cliffside, he pushed on, arm wrapped in Asterius’s as they walked together. 

When the sun began to peek over the horizon, Theseus was hard pressed to watch it, though he had spent so many years wishing for the sight in the depths of the underworld. 

Instead, he watched Asterius, blinking away the brightness but unable himself to look away from the red and gold of the rising sun. 

“It’s… enormous,” said Asterius. “Frightening. Hurts my eyes. But… as you said, king. Beautiful. I see why you missed it so,” he added, looking down at Theseus, who finally tore his eyes away - just a little too quickly, to look to the fiery chariot that began its journey across the sky. 

“Pfah, when you have seen it once, you’ve seen it a thousand times,” Theseus said. “But I hope I had done it justice. This is, after all, your first time seeing it. You once said I was the sun, but perhaps now you see that I do not come close to its splendor!”

“No,” said Asterius, simply. “I still think it appropriate.”

Theseus had to turn away to hide his blush, perhaps more so lit by the light of the early morning. 

  
  


There was much they were able to do when they wandered the land, side by side. They encountered few humans, and the few who saw them stayed away, which suited Theseus fine. Even if he felt guilt that Asterius should see others fear him once again, Asterius seemed content, examining the flowers they passed, touching the strange road markers left for lord Hermes, who himself passed them by at one point in the day, surprised at seeing two long-dead shades traveling the land. 

“Ahhhh, coz’s doing, that explains it all,” Hermes said, nodding vigorously when they explained. “Ah well. A day won’t be enough to see this wide, wild world, but maybe this’ll help you out,” said Hermes, looking around in his satchel. 

Theseus’s eyes widened. He didn’t know if Hermes ever offered boons the way his godly kin did, and couldn’t remember if he’d ever received one himself. 

But instead of a boon, like expected, Hermes presented to them both a small, round, green form, which began to move atop his palm, tipping its head to the side, its tiny eyes regarding its surroundings in question. 

“Chelly, champions. Champions, chelly. This here, boss, is what you call a turtle. They’re slow on land, but get em in the water and they’re fast as anything,” Hermes said. Asterius seemed uncertain, but Hermes encouraged him to use one of his enormous fingers to stroke Chelly gently down the back of its neck, which it seemed to enjoy, though it gave Asterius a little nip that the minotaur barely noticed, except to rumble softly, a sound he only let out when they were alone, when he was at his most relaxed and pleased. 

It was only after that Hermes struck them both on the head with his caduceus, surprising them both. “Alright, then, champs. Can’t make a day longer, but here’s a gift from me to you. Everything slows down when you’re faster than everything, so maybe it’ll give you better returns on that one day out, huh?” 

* * *

  
  


The rest of the day passed slowly, as promised, as Theseus flitted from one activity to another and Asterius followed, trying out new foods, fruits on the vine or trees, encountering the many animals of the surface. 

They found themselves on a sandy beach, and Theseus stripped himself, feeling welcomed into the waiting waves of the sea, familiar on his sun-kissed skin, though the memories of an unwelcome, deathly wave still lingered at the edges of his consciousness. He could see Nereids observing them from faraway shoals, wondering if they would speak of their observations to their lord Poseidon. Tempted was he to join them deeper in the water, the bravery of one who shared Poseidon’s emboldening him, but he would not leave his companion’s side for anything. 

Asterius was more cautious when he walked to waist-deep into the water, and Theseus tried his best to teach him how to swim, though it was an endeavour that could not be achieved in a day. The rivers of the underworld were gentle, but not so deep and vast as Poseidon’s realm that any real swimming could be had.

Eventually, they found a spring to wash the salt of the water off in, and then rested under the midday sun, the warmth drying them quickly, turning Asterius’s smooth pelt of fur into a riot of fluff, surprising even him. 

Theseus could help but embrace him, giggling like a child at the softness of his fur, and Asterius tolerated it, touching his own face as though he could not believe the change. 

Sometime in the day, they passed a field where cows grazed, and Asterius watched them awhile, Theseus tense in his silence as they sat on a hill. 

“You’ve killed bulls before,” Asterius said suddenly. 

“A life long behind me,” Theseus said, trying to wave it off. 

“I don’t mean me,” said Asterius, snorting. “One of your many exploits. The poets sing of them. The bull of Marathon.” 

“Ah, that is. Well, yes.”  _ Your father,  _ Theseus didn’t say. 

“Hrm,” Asterius grunted thoughtfully, but said nothing more. 

Eventually he looked down at the dandelions that surrounded them, and picked one from the grass. After looking at it for a moment, he put it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Theseus simply stared, in part bewildered, but moreso enthralled. 

* * *

  
  


There was much more that they were able to do that day, in Theseus’s frenzied push to get Asterius to experience everything worth experiencing out in the countryside. It was unfortunate that they could not enter the city states, not as they were, though a traveling merchant that seemed only bemused by the strange companions was happy enough to sell them delicacies Theseus remembered from his time alive, along with some new ones that had come with new trading routes and travel that had not existed in his time. 

They paid the man richly with jewels of the underworld, and he left them many of his wares that they would bring home with them, whether on their backs or in their stomachs. 

And eventually, the sun set, and they watched it together, standing side by side at the cliff they watched it rise. 

The last of their hours, they spent around a fire Theseus had built as they neared once more the snowy surroundings of the underworld gates. 

Theseus showed Asterius how to cook sweets on the end of skewers, and the two found themselves full and satisfied, lying in the snow but warmed by the fire. Little snowflakes drifted over and fell upon their faces, with Asterius catching them on his snout then on his tongue, the light of the stars making the flakes look like their own little starry points in the dark. 

“Thank you,” Asterius whispered. “You didn’t have to…. But thank you.”

“Nonsense,” Theseus said firmly. “If I must disagree with you a thousand times, my dear Asterius, I will. But if anyone deserved this in the wretched underworld, it is you.” 

Asterius grunted, non-committal, before rolling over, lifting himself up and planting one of his hands across Theseus’s other side, trapping him in place. He bit at Theseus’s shoulder, leaving red marks he couldn’t see in the dark then licking them to soothe the ache with his broad, long tongue, freeing a moan from the king’s throat as he opened himself to the affection. 

“You needn’t-” 

“Same as you,” said Asterius, interrupting him - so rare that it was a shock in itself. “If you say I deserve something so good, then I say you are the same,” he said firmly, one large hand pinching the fabric of Theseus’s chiton to pull it off and reveal his broad chest. 

“That sounds like a challenge, my love,” Theseus said, grinning wickedly, then shuddering as Asterius moved lower, giving his nipples, peaked from the cold of the snow, his attention. 

* * *

  
  


Later, when the fire began to die, the gates of the underworld opened, presenting the glorious and bloodied form of its vicious warrior prince, come to retrieve two wayward souls. 

And if anyone else had been present for this, they might have heard the god prince’s exclamation to the strange air of the surface world.

“Blood and darkness! Would you two please put on some clothes!?” 

  
  
  



End file.
